BWT Mücke Motorsport have their eyes firmly set on the 2022 motorsport season, as the well established Berlin-based outfit is poised to add a fresh chapter to its long history in the DTM this year when they contest the DTM Trophy for the first time together with their partner BWT. Rodrigo Almeida, a Mozambican with Portuguese roots, is the team’s first signing to the nascent feeder series on the DTM stage. He will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT4 prepared by BWT Mücke Motorsport on his series debut.
As far as 17-year-old Almeida’s budding motor racing career is concerned, moving into GT racing represents a crossroads moment after competing in karts up to and including 2020, racing both in the German championship and at an international level. Following a guest outing in Formula 4 UAE, Almeida switched to touring cars in 2021. He promptly went out and booked fifth place overall in the BMW M2 CS Racing Cup, which since 2021 is being held as a feeder series to the DTM platform as well.
He will face the biggest challenge of his career to date in the DTM Trophy. The new series celebrated its debut in 2020 and the format is being very well received as support to the DTM. BWT Mücke Motorsport will field a GT4 car from Mercedes-AMG on its first outing. Almeida will find that the Mercedes-AMG GT4 can hold its own and is very competitive. The 460-bhp saloon produced by Mercedes-AMG especially for customer sports car racing proved its potential last year with three race wins.
This year’s DTM Trophy calendar will feature seven race weekends, starting at the Lausitzring on the weekend of May 20th to 22nd before moving on to other classic German venues, including the Hockenheimring, Nürburgring and Norisring. The season will draw to a close with races abroad at three circuits famous throughout the world, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and the Red Bull Ring, taking DTM Trophy teams and drivers to Italy, Belgium and Austria respectively.
A race weekend consists of six sessions designed to give teams and drivers every opportunity to prepare with two practice sessions lasting 30 to 45 minutes so that drivers can familiarise themselves with the track and work on setup. Drivers then get down to the real business in two 20 minute qualifying sessions and two sprint races, each lasting 30 minutes plus one lap. A DTM-style flying start ensures that racing remains exciting right from the off.
Rodrigo Almeida: “I’m delighted to have been given this opportunity to contest the DTM Trophy with BWT Mücke Motorsport and it makes me very proud to drive for such a famous team in a car from Mercedes AMG and fly the Mozambican flag at the top of motorsports. I learned a lot last year in the one-make cup. The competition was very tough and it was an important experience for me, as I now feel ready to tackle GT racing. I’m very excited about the upcoming season, especially as there will be so many new venues for me to tackle. Mozambique has only one racetrack but there are plenty of amazing circuits on this year’s calendar, which should be terrific. I can hardly wait to get the season started!”
Team Principal Peter Mücke: “We’re really looking forward to contesting this year’s DTM Trophy which came on in leaps and bounds in its first two seasons and provides an attractive platform for us to go racing. The Mercedes AMG GT4 is a first-class package and with Rodrigo, we have a very promising young talent in the cockpit. We’ve had our eye on him for some time now and are delighted that he is set to drive for us this year. We aim to make it possible for him to move into the sports saloon racing sector at a high level in a professional environment. He will receive the best possible training from us and we are certain that he will achieve good results over the course of the season.”
Source. Mücke Motorsport /Photo. Joel Almeida
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